


In the Middle of Summer

by heavenasunder



Category: Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town
Genre: Blowjobs, Crushes, M/M, Misunderstandings, Pining, Porn With Plot, cliff and gray are bros, liberty taken with characterization
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-05-10 03:19:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14728970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heavenasunder/pseuds/heavenasunder
Summary: After years' long crush, Kai finally brings himself to admit to Rick that his affections are not where Rick thinks they are.Smut towards the end.





	In the Middle of Summer

Kai closed the door of his shop and leaned against the wall, sighing. He wondered if he would ever be capable of interacting with Rick without making a total ass of himself. Probably not. He’d be lying if he said the other man didn’t get under his skin, but he knew he’d been out of line, especially since his feelings were quite contrary to how he actually felt. But when Rick had come at him, telling him not to see his sister anymore, something in him snapped. Maybe he just wasn’t used to family caring about each other, but the way Rick came about it had irked him.

Kai sighed again, figuring he should get to work. He would worry about damage control later. Though, he thought, he wasn’t sure how to go about explaining to Rick that Popuri, hell any woman, wasn’t exactly his type. He and Popuri had been friends since he started coming to Mineral Town, but that had been it. He knew she had feelings for him, but he’d subtly avoided that topic for a while now, not knowing how to explain to her that he was far more interested in her brother...

It was a dumb infatuation, Kai knew. Rick had been nothing but antagonistic towards him since they met, and he’d matched him stride for stride, but something about him stuck Kai in the heart. More than once, he’d woken sweaty from dreams of him under his hands, lips locked in a heated kiss, and always ending with Kai on his knees. The memory of it stirred in Kai, and he forced himself to focus on the task in front of him. It wasn’t just a dumb infatuation, it was a doomed one. Rick would never see him as anyone but a threat to his sister’s innocence.

The day passed slowly, with only a few customers. Cliff came by, and Kai watched him as he ate. Why couldn’t he fall for someone nice like him? He had wondered when he first met Cliff if he’d had an attraction to him, but found out later that his shyness was mostly innate. He leaned his head on his hand. Hell, even Gray with his gruffness would have been a better candidate for his one-sided crush. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Cliff shot him a quizzical look on his way out, but said nothing, and Kai was, for once, glad he wasn’t the more vocal sort.

He was more than shocked when Cliff brought it up later that night, as he, Gray and Kai got ready for bed. It was a tight fit in the inn room, but now it seemed particularly claustrophobic.

“Why would you assume something’s wrong?” Kai asked, feigning cheerfulness. Gray eyed him from across the room.

“No, he’s right. You do seem a little off,” he chimed in. Kai wanted to ask them when they became experts on emotion, but figured he’d done enough antagonizing for one day.

“Got into it with Rick today,” he said. “About Popuri.” Cliff nodded. Kai hoped it would be enough to end the subject, but Cliff went on.

“He’s just worried about his sister,” he said, quietly. Kai leaned back in his chair, balancing on two legs. He knew it drove Gray crazy, but for once he didn’t say anything.

“He doesn’t need to be. It’s not like that between Popuri and me,” he explained.

“Really?” Gray asked, quirking an eyebrow. “You two seem awfully close.”

“We’re just friends.”

“Did you tell Rick that?” Cliff asked. Kai chewed on the inside of his cheek.

“No.”

“Why not?”

_Because I’ve been keeping this stupid crush a secret for three years, and I’m pretty sure it’d gush out if I said anything, _Kai thought, but instead said:__

__“__ Because that’s not the point. He’s trying to control what she does, and that’s not right. She can talk to who she wants.”

“I think you’re being petty,” Gray said. Kai nearly laughed at that.

“Yeah, probably. But I said something I shouldn’t have and now I feel bad,” he went on. “I come here to relax, and I don’t need bad blood.”

“You could apologize,” Cliff offered.

“I could.”

“He’s not going to,” Gray said, taking off his hat and throwing it on the bed.

“Because I’m petty.”

“Because you’re petty.”

Kai sighed, letting the chair drop back to the ground. He thought for a moment.

“It’s not because I’m petty,” he said, breaking the silence. Gray stared at him, waiting for him to continue. Kai chewed at his thumbnail.

“If I told you guys something, would you promise not to say anything to anyone ever?” he asked. Gray shot him a look that roughly translated to “who would we tell? We’re the two most anti-social people in town.” So Kai told them. About his lack of interest in Popuri, his lack of interest in women, his silly, stupid, strong crush on Rick, and how he’d insulted him today, ruining any non-existent chance with him. They were silent for a moment, and Kai’s catharsis at getting it all off his chest swiftly dwindled into fear. Cliff was the first to break the silence.

“You really should apologize to him, then,” he said. Kai was struck for a moment.

“That’s it? No questions?” he asked. “I mean I share this room with both of you for a quarter of the year every year, and you’re not even surprised?”

“The most surprising thing about that, is that out of any man here, you’d pick Rick,” Gray said, echoing Kai’s earlier thoughts.

“You’re telling me,” Kai said with a laugh. “Why, you got a thing for me, Gray?”

“If I did, living with you for a quarter of the year every year definitely killed that,” he shot back, and even Cliff laughed at that. Kai returned to leaning back in his chair. The catharsis was back.

“Okay, so help me out. Step one, apologize. Got it. How the hell am I supposed to get over the rest of it?” he asked.

“Get over it? You’re not going to...ask him out?” Cliff said. Kai blinked.

“Absolutely not.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’d like for him to not castrate me,” Kai deadpanned. “We’re talking about Rick. He hates me.”

“He hates you because he thinks you’re trying to deflower his sister,” Gray pointed out.

“No, I’m pretty sure that was just the nail in the coffin,” Kai argued. “He hated me before that.” He thought back to their first meeting. Rick had been red-faced the whole time. Barely said two words to him. Kai had written him off as shy, until seeing him around everyone else in the town. Then he’d started hanging around Popuri, and Rick’s quiet resentment had grown louder. Kai took off his bandanna and scrubbed his hands through his short hair.

“I think you should tell him,” Cliff said softly.

“Why don’t you tell him for me, Cliff, and we’ll see how well that goes for you,” he snapped.

“Don’t be a dick, Kai,” Gray said through clenched teeth. Cliff had seemed to shrink to half his size.

“I’m sorry, Cliff, that was mean,” Kai admitted. Cliff nodded, relaxing minutely. Silence spread over them for longer than was comfortable. Kai pretended to find something interesting on the ceiling.

“Cliff’s right, though,” Gray finally said. “Even if he turns you down, you won’t be able to move on until he does.”

“Closure,” Cliff murmured. Kai nodded.

“Closure,” he said. “Yeah. Fine. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

“Good,” grunted Gray. “Now can we go to sleep? I have to be up early for work or my grandpa will kill me.”  
\---

Tomorrow came too quickly. Sunday’s were his off-days, and he couldn’t help but resent that today. He had no prior engagement to make excuses to not go straight over. Instead, he laid in his bed, trying to run every possible scenario through his head. Almost every one ended with Rick punching his face, and Kai tried to think of ways to hide a black eye when he went back to work on Monday. Maybe a pirate theme day at the shack and an eye patch. He laughed at that, nervous. Finally when he could no longer stand the covers over him in the heat, he got up and dressed.

“Come what may,” he told himself in the mirror.

The walk to Poultry Farm was an eternity. From down the road, he could see Rick’s blond head as he tended to the chickens, and his heart did flips in his chest. He made his way onto the farm as Rick disappeared into the coop. Kai walked up to it, taking a deep breath. The door had been left open, as the occupants were out enjoying the sun, so Kai knocked on the door frame. Rick turned, and his friendly smile turned cold as soon as he saw who was knocking.

“What are _you_ doing here?” he asked. _Hello to you too_ , Kai thought, but kept it in. He took a deep breath.

“I’m here to apologize?” he said, not quite able to keep the upward inflection out of his voice. Cliff and Gray were both dead to him. This was the worst decision ever.

“Is that a question?” Rick shot back. Kai shoved his hands into his pockets.

“No. I’m here to apologize. What I said to you yesterday was way out of line. Popuri is lucky to have a brother like you, who cares so much about her,” he said. Rick eyed him suspiciously.

“But you’re still going to see her,” he accused. Kai bit his tongue so hard he tasted blood.

“I’m still her friend. You’re not going to change that,” he said.

_“‘Friend,’“_ Rick snorted. “Is that what you call it?”

“Yes. I’m not trying to...to fool around with her. It’s not like that. If you even managed to read the situation just a little--” Kai stopped himself short. He was losing his temper, and that was not the way he wanted this to go.

“So you’re just playing with her emotions then?” Rick asked, his voice rising. Kai squinted, trying to figure out where this conversation went wrong.

“Not intentionally? Look, I like her. As a friend. How the hell am I supposed to be like ‘hey _just in case_ you have feelings, you should probably stop that because I’m not interested in women at all?’“ Kai asked in one, irritable breath. That seemed to stop Rick short.

“Wait, you’re--?”

“Gay as the day is long? Yeah,” he said. He took a few steps closer, breaching the distance between them. “Kinda hard to tell a girl that you’re more interested in her brother.”

Rick sucked in a breath, and Kai waited for it. The seconds drew out, and Kai was about to excuse himself to go beat Cliff and Gray to a pulp. _Closure my ass._

“You...you like me?” Rick finally said. Kai shifted his weight.

“Against my better judgement, yeah,” he said. “Look if you’re mad--” He was cut off by Rick’s lips on his, and he didn’t have time to properly register the jarring turn of events before he was kissing him back.

His dreams had never done this credit. Rick was clumsy, but earnest, and Kai fought to keep up. He tangled his hands in Rick’s long hair, every heart beat singing out _finally, finally, finally._ Rick’s hands were at his hips, drawing him close, and the friction between them had Kai panting into his mouth within moments. They found their stride, their lips, tongues, meeting again and again, hands exploring and finding nothing but enthusiastic reciprocation. Kai didn’t bother to question the sudden difference. He had long ago stopped questioning the good things in his life.

Grinding into him, Kai felt Rick’s hard length between his legs. He drew back from the kiss to suck at his neck, and Rick was all but quivering under his touch.

“Kai,” he started, voice wavering. “Kai I don’t. I mean, I haven’t...”

“Never done this before?” Kai asked, pausing to lick a stripe up Rick’s neck. Rick moaned, helplessly. “Start by closing that door.”

Rick reluctantly let him go, rushing to the door to close it. Kai followed behind him, and caught Rick in another kiss as he turned around.

“I don’t know what to do,” Rick admitted, as they came apart for breath. Kai smiled, devilishly.

“Just let me take care of you,” he said. He’d dreamed this enough to feel like it was memory as he slid down Rick’s body, getting on his knees and undoing his fly. Rick gasped as Kai freed his cock, stroking it slowly in his hand, watching Rick watch him. He kept eye contact as he licked up the length, following the vein on the underside. He couldn’t help but moan as he took the tip in his mouth. Rick was salty and heavy on his tongue, and he closed his eyes as he took as much of the length as he could, moving languidly as he sucked him off, savoring every twitch, every moan as he took him apart.

Kai took his own cock out as he picked up speed, stroking himself in time as he took Rick again and again. He opened his eyes to look at Rick, who seemed to not know what to do with his hands, trying to grasp the edges on the chicken coop. Kai took his hand from the base of Rick’s cock to bring the other man’s hand to his cheek. Rick sucked in a breath and Kai watched him with hooded eyes. He was flushed red, panting hard, soft whimpers escaping his lips with every breath. This, Kai realized, was what his dreams could never replicate. The way his kiss-swollen lips parted ever so slightly, the way he couldn’t take his eyes off of Kai. It was almost too much. Kai grounded himself with a hand on Rick’s hip as he picked up speed, drool dripping down his chin. Rick’s breathing hitched and Kai felt him fight the involuntary urge to buck his hips. He was close, Kai knew, and he wanted nothing more to push him over, see his face as he came, and know he’d caused it. He moaned around Rick, playing his tongue along the sensitive slit, and Rick was gone, spilling his seed into Kai’s mouth, and he swallowed down every drop.

Coming off Rick with a wet pop, he kissed, bit his hip bones as he stroked himself to his own climax.

“Rick,” he gasped, seeing stars as he came, intense, between how long it’d been for him and the fact that this was Rick.

They stayed frozen for a bit, catching their breath. Kai leaned his head on Rick’s hip.

“I thought you hated me,” Kai said. He looked up at Rick, who was shaking his head.

“I--I didn’t know at first what it was. You gave me butterflies. Then you started hanging around Popuri and...” Rick trailed off.

“And?”

“And I was jealous,” Rick admitted softly. Kai laughed, rising to his feet. He pressed a kiss under Rick’s jawbone.

“That’s funny why?” Rick accused, though all venom was gone from his voice.

“Because I’ve spent three years pining and we could have been doing this that whole time,” he explained. He kissed along his neck, not quite ready to end their contact. He still wasn’t quite convinced this was real. Rick sighed.

“I do have to get back to work,” he chided, though not very strongly. Kai pulled back.

“Okay, okay,” he said. “But what do you say you join me for a drink after this? Just you and me at the shack?” Rick turned a lovely shade of pink.

“I’d like that,” he said. Kai smiled so wide it hurt his cheeks. He put himself to rights, watching as Rick did the same on wobbly legs. He winked as he left the coop, and couldn’t help the jolt of joy when Rick smiled.

On his way back to the inn, he decided he owed Cliff and Gray dinner. Maybe not tonight though.

He had plans after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted to my tumblr 3dayturnips  
> Unedited so all mistakes are mine


End file.
